Systems Software

          System software is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide a platform for running application software. System software refers to the files and programs that make up your computer's operating system. System files include libraries of functions, system services, drivers for printers and other hardware, system preferences, and other configuration files.

The programs that are part of the system software include assemblers, compilers, file management tools, system utilites, and debuggers. The system software is installed on your computer when you install your operating system. You can update the software by running programs such as "Windows Update" for Windows or "Software Update" for Mac OS X. Unlike application programs, however, system software is not meant to be run by the end user. For example, while you might use your Web browser every day, you probably don't have much use for an assembler program (unless, of course, you are a computer programmer).

Since system software runs at the most basic level of your computer, it is called "low-level" software. It generates the user interface and allows the operating system to interact with the hardware. Fortunately, you don't have to worry about what the system software is doing since it just runs in the background. It's nice to think you are working at a "high-level" anyway.

Four types of programs

1.Operating System

An operating system (OS) is software, consisting of programs and data, that runs on computers and manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for efficient execution of various application software. The most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.

For large systems, the operating system has even greater responsibilities and powers. It is like a traffic cop ,it makes sure that different programs and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other. The operating system is also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorized users do not access the system.

For hardware functions such as input and output and memory allocation, the operating system acts as an intermediary between application programs and the computer hardware, although the application code is usually executed directly by the hardware and will frequently call the OS or be interrupted by it. Operating systems are found on almost any device that contains a computer—from cellular phones and video game consoles to supercomputers and web servers.

Examples of popular modern operating systems for personal computers are Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and Mac OS X.

SYSTEM UNITS (SYSTEM CHASSIS)

In this chapter we explained about components in system units that is system board, microprocessor , memory and other component that relates to the mainboard. For better understanding of the function of each components there are some word that we need to know that is:

1)      Binary system(bit) – consist of only 2 digits- 0 and 1 is the language that can be understand by the computer  represent numbers, letters, and special characters, bits are combined into groups of eight called bytes. For example a 64-bit-word computer can access 8 bytes at the time means that hardware states bits to  determine how fast the hardware can process!!

SYSTEM BOARD (MOTHERBOARD)

                Control communications for the entire computer system and acts as a data path and traffic monitor allowing the various components to communicate efficiently with one another. It covered with a variety of different electronic components including sockets, chips, slots and bus lines

In Malaysia, GIGABYTE and ASUS is the name thats competes in providing better motherboard and two most popular type for home common computer user is AMD mainboard for AMD processor and INTEL Socket mainboard for Intel Processor.

 

ASUS CROSSHAIR IV EXT for AMD processor

 SATA DISK

Output device (Printer)

A computer printer is a computer peripheral device that produces a hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics, usually on paper) from data stored in a computer connected to it. It translates information that has been processed by the system unit and presents the information on paper.

Major types of printer

• Printers can be divided into two main groups, impact printer and non-impact printer.  Impact printer produces text and images when tiny wire pins on print head strike the ink ribbon by physically contacting the paper.  Non-impact printer produces text and graphics on paper without actually striking the paper.

• Printers can also be categorized based on the print method or print technology.  The most popular ones are inkjet printer, laser printer, dot-matrix printer and thermal printer.  Among these, only dot-matrix printer is impact printer and the others are non-impact printers

• Some printers are named because they are designed for specific functions, such as photo printers, portable printers and all-in-one / multifunction printers. Photo printers and portable printers usually use inkjet print method whereas multifunction printers may use inkjet or laser print method

• Inkjet printers and laser printers are the most popular printer types for home and business use. 

• The use of thermal printers is limited to ATM, cash registers and point-of-sales terminals.  Some label printers and portable printers also use thermal printing.

Output devices (Laser Printer)

 

Laser printers are non-impact printers which can print text and images in high speed and high quality resolution, ranging from 600 to 1200 dpi.

Unlike inkjet printers, laser printer use toner (black or colored powder) instead of liquid inks.  A laser printer consists of these major components: drum cartridge, rotating mirror, toner cartridge and roller.  The drum cartridge rotates as the paper is fed through.  The mirror deflects laser beam across the surface of the drum.  Laser beam creates charge that causes the toner to stick to the drum.  As the drum rotates and presses on paper, toner is transferred from the drum to paper, creating images.  Rollers then use heat and pressure to fuse toner to paper.  Colored laser printers add colored toner in three additional passes.

ADVANTAGES	DISADVANTAGES
High resolution	More expensive than inkjet printers
High print speed	Except for high end machines, laser printers are less capable of printing vivid colors and high quality images such as photos
No smearing	The cost of toner replacement and drum replacement is high
Low cost per page (compared to inkjet printers)	Bulkier than inkjet printers
Printout is not sensitive to water	Warm up time needed
Good for high volume printing

Output devices (Inkjet Printer)

 

Inkjet printers are non-impact printers which print text and images by spraying tiny droplets of liquid ink onto paper.  They are the most popular printers for home use.

Currently, most inkjet printers use either thermal inkjet or piezoelectric inkjet technology.  Thermal inkjet printer uses heating element to heat liquid ink to form vapor bubble, which forces the ink droplets onto the paper through the nozzle.  Most inkjet manufacturers use this technology in consumer inkjet printers.

Piezoelectric inkjet technology is used on all Epson printers and industrial inkjet printers.  Instead of using heating element, these printers use a piezoelectric crystal in each nozzle.  The piezoelectric crystal changes shape and size based on the electric current received, and forces tiny droplets of ink onto the paper from the nozzle.

Thermal inkjet printers use aqueous ink which is a mixture of water, glycol and dyes. These inks are inexpensive but they can only be used on paper or specially coated materials.  Piezoelectric inkjet printers allow the use of a wider range of inks, such as solvent inks, UV-curable inks, dye sublimation inks, and can print text and graphics on different uncoated materials.

The inkjet head design is also divided into two main groups: fixed-head and disposable head.  Fixed-head is built into the printer and should last for the whole life of the printer.  It produces more accurate output than cheap disposable head.  The ink cartridges for fixed head printers are also cheaper as the print head does not need to be replaced.  However, if the head is damaged, the entire printer has to be replaced. 

Disposable head is included in replacement ink cartridge.  It is replaced each time an ink cartridge runs out of ink.  This increases the cost of ink cartridges and also limits the use of high quality print head in these cartridges.  However, a damaged print head is not a problem as one can easily replace it with a new ink cartridge.

Some printer manufacturers use disposable ink and disposable print head separately.  The print head can last much longer than cheap disposable head and is suitable for high volume printing.  However, it can also be replaced easily if the head is clogged or damaged.

Although inkjet printers are generally used in home and small businesses, some manufacturers, such as Hewlett Packard, have produced high end inkjet printers for industrial use.  These professional inkjet printers are usually used to print advertising graphics or technical drawings.

ADVANTAGES	DISADVANTAGES
Low cost	Print head is less durable, prone to clogging and damage
High quality of output, capable of printing fine and smooth details	Expensive replacement ink cartridges
Capable of printing in vivid color, good for printing pictures	Not good for high volume printing
Easy to use	Printing speed is not as fast as laser printers
Reasonably fast	Ink bleeding, ink carried sideways causing blurred effects on some papers
Quieter than dot matrix printer	Aqueous ink is sensitive to water, even a small drop of water can cause blurring
No warm up time	Cannot use highlighter marker on inkjet printouts

Build Your Own PC-1

Chapter 4 : Specialized Application Software

-Specialized applications make it possible to perform advanced tasks at home.

-Home users can create Webs sites, work with graphic images, and create music or art.

-Robots now provide security and assistance in homes

-Competent end users need to be aware of specialized applications

    1. Graphics Programs

    2. Audio and Video Software

    3. Multimedia Programs

    4. Web Authoring Programs

    5. Artificial Intelligence

1. Graphics Programs

a.   Desktop publishing is a program that allows you to mix text and graphics to create publications of professional quality. Popular desktop publishing programs is Adobe InDesign , Microsoft Publisher, and QuarkXPress

 





b.   Image editors (photo editors)are specialize graphics programs for editing or modifying digital photographs. Popular image editor programs include Paint.NET, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro.

c.   Illustration programs are programs used to create & edit vector images. Popular programs include Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, CorelDRAW

d.   Image galleries are libraries of electronic images. These images are used for a wide variety of application from illustrating textbook to providing visual interest to presentation. Two basic types of image gallery are stock photographs and clip art

e.   Graphic suites are a group of graphic program that have been combined or bundled by some companies. The advantage of the graphic suite is that you can buy a large variety of graphics programs at a lower cost. Two most popular suite are CorelDRAW Graphics Suite (include five individual graphic program plus a large library of clip art, media art, and font) and Adobe Creative Suite.

2. Audio and Video Software

a)    Audio editing Software

This software is a type of computer program that allows a user to creates, access, edit, save, and otherwise manipulate audio files. It is because this program useful when dealing with multiple audio clips that needs to be combined.

Example are Apple GarageBand and Sony ACID.

b)    Video editing software

Video editing software is application software which handles the editing of video sequences on a computer. This software allows you to enhance digital video footage, reorganize, and add effects etc. Some example of video editing software programs are Apple iMovie and Windows Movie Maker.

3. Multimedia Programs

Multimedia is the integration of a variety of media into one presentation. It’s including video, music, voice, graphics and text. It is also Include user interactivity.

i)  Links and Buttons

An interactive multimedia presentation is usually organized as a series of related pages.

Link can be to video, sound, graphics and text files and to other pages and resources.

Buttons are links and provide the ability to navigate through a presentation.

  

ii)  Multimedia Authoring Programs

It is special programs used to create multimedia presentation. In these programs they bring together all the video, audio, graphics and text elements into an interactive framework.

Example: Adobe Director and Toolbook 

4. Web Authoring 

Many individuals create their own personal sites, called Web logs or blogs, to keep in touch with friends and family while corporations use the Web to reach new customers.

-Web Site Design

-Web Authoring Programs

Web Site Design

Web design is used as a general term to describe any of the various tasks involved in creating a web page. It is an interactive multimedia form of communication that creates a graphical map of overall content; also add multimedia elements like animation by using Macromedia's Flash

Web Authoring Programs

It is known as Web page editors or HTML editors; it is more specialized and powerful programs, called Web authoring programs. Web page editors and HTML editors are specifically designed to create Web site. It does provide support for Web site design and HTML coding for the layout of the Web pages based on what the user designs.

Widely used Web authoring programs include Adobe Dreamweaver, NetObjects Fusion, and Microsoft Expression

 

5. Artificial Intelligence

•          Attempts to simulate human senses, thought processes, and actions

•          Designed to help people and organizations become more productive

•          Three areas of AI

–        Virtual reality

–        Knowledge-based (expert) systems

–        Robotics

Virtual Reality

•            Artificial or simulated reality

•         Generated in 3-D by a computer

•         Commonly known as VR, artificial reality, or   virtual environments

Knowledge-Based (Expert) Systems

•          Artificial intelligence that uses a database for assistance

•          Database is known as a knowledge base

•          Many use "fuzzy logic"

Robotics

•          The field of study concerned with using robots

•          Robots are computer-controlled machines

–        Mimic the motor activities of living things

–        Four types of robots

•          Perception system robots

•          Industrial robots

•          Mobile robots

•          Household robots

Chapter 3 : Basic Application Software

End user must understand the capabilities of basic application software that including :

• Word processor
• Spreadsheet
• Database management system
• Presentation program

This also call as common types or general purposed.

Specialized Applications

Specialized application is known as special purpose applications. There many thousands of other programs focused on specific work or occupations. For examples :

Word Processor

Used to creates text based document such as like letter or memos and others too. There many word processing programs such as for Microsoft is Microsoft office, for apple is apple pages. Word processor must have a features that can editing and formatting like thesaurus and formatting is have a font and sizing.

This picture show Microsoft Word 2007 but there have a newest model Microsoft word 2010.

This a toolbar that can access many command. This toolbar is the most important thing if we want do a work because all thing in here. If want to change the way of writing like time new roman or others in tools.  

Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet is a program that manipulate numeric data. Software we can see is Microsoft excel, Corel Quattro Pro and Apple iWork’s Numbers.

For features spreadsheet must can doing workbook files, formulas, function, analytical graphs or charts.

Database Management System

This program is a collected of related data and sets up a structure for data storage. Mostly people use Microsoft Access. There also have a similar program like Corel Paradox, Lotus Approach. Must have for this program is tables that can record. Have queries, forms and others. 

Presentation Graphics

This program usually for presenting workpaper and should have interesting icon. The program usually uses is Microsoft Power Point, Corel Presentation, Lotus Freelance Graphics. The features in presentation graphics is slides, autocontent wizard,desgn templates, master slide.